Sportsman&#39;s apparel



March 26, 1957 G, w @BERG 2,786,208

SPORTSMAN S APPAREL Filed May 13, 1955 V EN TOR.

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\ TURNEY Uited States Patent SPORTSMANS APPAREL Gustaf W. Oberg, Princeton, Mass. Application May 13, 1955, Serial No. 508,179

1 claim. (cl. z-zsz) i This invention relates to sportsmans apparel, and more particularly to a device for fastening together a boot and trousers leg so as to aid in protecting the wearer from the weather.

It is customary for a hunter or fisherman to wear a rubber boot or overshoe so that he may travel in wet places. However, if the trousers legs are worn over the boot, they may get wet when the wearer is wading in shallow water; and if they are tucked into the top of the boot, then rain water tends to work its way down to the inside.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a fastening device for a boot and trousers leg combination which will overcome such problems and particularly protect the wearers feet from rain water and at the same time hold the trousers legs and the socks properly positioned for comfortable wear. Other objects will be apparent in the following disclosure.

The drawing is a perspective view, partly broken away, showing a standard rubber boot and a trousers leg moditied to embody this invention.

As illustrated in the drawings, I may use a boot or overshoe 1t) of standard construction, which is usually made of rubber and has buckles 11 at the front to close the gap 12 provided for ease in drawing the boot into place. In accordance with my invention, I have provided this boot with a set of prongs 1S which extend in a circular arrangement around the boot and near its top 16, such as about two inches below the top. These prongs are shaped to provide eyes adapted to receive a boot lace threaded therethrough. These eye portions are adapted to be thrust through a like number of metal eyelets or grommets 1S which extend in a row around the bottom portion of each trousers leg 19 and spaced an inch or two above the edge. After the boot has been put on the feet of the wearer and the trousers leg placed thereover, the prongs are inserted through the adjacent eyelets 18. Means is provided for securing the prongs in place and fastening the trousers leg to the boot. This preferably comprises a leather thong or boot lace 26 arranged to be passed through the projecting eye portions of the prongs outside of the eyelets. Thus the lace, after it has been tied with a suitable knot 22, serves to hold the trousers leg tightly in place against the outer surface of the boot and prevent its moving up or down relative thereto.

A further problem inherent in the use of this outfit lies in the fact that the heavy woolen sock 24 customarily worn inside of the boot, and often with more than one sock intertted together, tends to creep downwardly and slip forward from the heel to form a bunch near the toe. The prong 15 is made long and narrow enough so that the top edge portion of the sock 24 may be curled over the top of the boot, and each prong 15 is punched through the web of the sock and between the yarns thereof, as at 26, and thus serves to hold the sock in place and prevent its slipping down into the boot.

jured by the slender prong.

Various constructional details may be employed. For.

erably two outwardly daring aligned arms 28 which'liev substantially in the same line and are at least 0.5 inch long. These arms are held in place on the boot by a suitable device. I prefer to use two adhesive rubber strips 2i? that are cemented in place over the outwardly extending ends 28, The arms thus form a pivot or hinge for the prong and allow it to swing laterally as needed and to lie down more or less flat against the boot when the trousers are worn loosely thereover. If the wire prong arms are inserted through the boot material and clinched over or otherwise secured, the prongs are thus rigidly positioned. I, however, prefer the hinged construction as above described.

Each eyelet 18 may be of standard grommet construction, such as may be made of aluminum or other soft metal shaped to form a tubular piece 30 provided with a circular flange and a flat ring 31 which fits over the tube and is secured as by bending over or riveting the end of the tube. The ange and ring engage the opposite sides of the cloth and hold the eyelet in place. The trousers leg is, of course, punched to provide a hole within the eyelet through which the prong 15 may project.

The operation and use of the fastening device will be apparent in view of the above description. After the boot has been drawn over the sock, the top edge of the sock is then folded down over the outside of the boot edge and each prong 15 is punched through the sock web to hold it in place. Then each prong eye is inserted through the adjacent eyelet 18 that has been properly located for the purpose. This requires folding the trousers leg into small folds between the eyelets. Thereafter, the leather thong 2G is threaded through the eyes of the prong 15 outside of the trousers leg and tied into a secure knot at 22 which thus forms a fairly tight union between the trousers leg and the boot. Thus, if the weather results in rain, the raindrops will flow down over the outside of the trousers leg and boot and cannot get into the boot. In fact, the thong may be drawn so tightly against the boot that the wearer may even wade for a brief time in Water that might ordinarily get over the top of the boot, and thus keep his feet dry. If the device is to be used on a leather boot, the prongs 28 may be sewed in place or secured by a wire staple clinched on the inside of the boot. A vulcanized rubber patch is preferred for the rubber boot.

Various other advantages will be readily apparent to a Vhunter or other sportsman who wishes to travel in the rain` or in boggy terrano. It will also be appreciated that various modifications may be made in this construction within the scope of this invention and that the above disclosure is to be interpreted as setting forth the principles and a preferred embodiment of the invention and not as imposing limitations on the appended claim.

I claim:

ln sportsmans apparel, the combination of boots, woven socks and trousers detachably assembled in a normal arrangement having the socks within and their tops folded over the tops of the boots and the trousers legs surrounding said tops comprising a row of spaced and open eyelets secured circumferentially on each trousers leg near the bottom edge thereof, a row of Patented Mar. 26, 1957.

Thus the webbing meshes are not materially in.

This serves as assegna spaced prongs circumferentially arranged near the top of each boot, each prong being a substantially U-shaped wire providing a long and narrow loop having an eye at its end which is detachably insertaole through an associated eyelet and sock top and which has such dimensions that it readily spreads and penetrates the woven mesh of the portion of the sock folded over the outside of the boot top without material injury to the sock, each prong having two aligned, laterally projecting pivot arms, means including a strip extending over and pivotally securing the arms on the boot and providing hinges for the prongs, and a lace insertable through the eyes of the projecting portions of the prongs outside of the associated eyelets which serves to secure the trousers leg and associated sock in position against the outer surface of the boot.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS r il 

